YouTube sensation Suzelle DIY shared some of her quirky yet helpful household hacks with Plett Food and Film Festival guest at the White House Theatre on July 12, 2016. One of her tips was creating a sparkling centre piece with an empty bottle and some gold spray paint. Photo: Ewald Stander
The third annual Plett Food and Film Festival got off to a titillating start with culinary presentations by some of South Africa’s top foodies, delectable food, wine and sweet treats; and world-class films.
The festival – which took place between July 11 and July 13 – is a first of its kind in Africa and showcases world-class films that explore food and everything that goes along with it.
To add to the experience these films are then followed by gourmet culinary presentations, linked to the film.
This year the central theme was love and the foods associated with the intimate emotion. The first night, hosted at the White House Theatre in Plettenberg Bay, set the stage for the rest of the festival with a beautiful French film about unexpectedly finding love, a feast of chocolate and sweet treats and a presentation by kitchen ace and author Karen Dudley who spoke about, among others, how certain flavours evoked certain emotions.
The venue was packed with locals and visitors who enjoyed an unexpected warm winter’s evening to listen to Dudley’s presentation.
Dudley said that flavour had no judgment and was a language that extended beyond words. She also explained that no person had the same palate and that some flavours evoked different emotions in different individuals.
She proved her point by doing a “fun experiment” with audience members by asking a few questions about their likes and dislikes, and then creating a snack plate to suit their taste buds.
After Dudley’s presentation, festivalgoers were treated to specialty baguettes before heading into the theatre for the screening of French film Les Emotifs Anyonymes. Directed by Jean-Pierre Améris, the film tells the story of two socially awkward people finding love in a chocolate factory through their mutual love for the sweet treat.
The film set the stage for the surprise awaiting guests after the screening. When the doors of the theatre opened, festinos were treated to a chocolate and sweet treat feast, which was not only aesthetically pleasing, but equally delicious. The treats were prepared by local restaurant Nguni and were complemented by a chocolate truffle table from the Local La Carla Mask Atelier and Chocolate Cafe.
The same venue was packed the next evening when YouTube sensation Suzelle DIY shared her quirky yet helpful household hacks with festivalgoers.
She had the audience in stitches as she showed them how to add some spice to a dinner party, including making “fancy” edible spoons from shortcrust pastry and cream cheese, sparkling centrepieces from empty bottles and gold spray paint, and DIY “champagne” with a bottle of white wine and a Soda Stream.
But before Suzelle took centre stage, it was the creations by local restaurants and winemakers that shined as they showcased their goods through a canape-and-wine pairing session.
Suzelle’s presentation was followed by the screening of the movie, A Good Year, which was a good backdrop for the wine-and-canape pairing.
